Actively implement non-stop toll collection

Although the project to apply non-stop toll collection technology (ETC) was deployed by the Ministry of Transport since late 2015, progress has been very slow so far.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong said that according to the Prime Minister's decision, automatic toll collection must be applied on National Highway 1 and Ho Chi Minh Road through the Central Highlands by December 31, 2018 at the latest.

Ben Thuy Bridge Toll Station. Photo: Thu Huyen

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“For toll stations built after January 1, 2019, investors must hand over the management and operation of the toll stations immediately after acceptance. The management and operation of toll stations for road use services of other road infrastructure construction projects shall be decided by competent state agencies in accordance with actual conditions, but by December 31, 2019 at the latest, automatic electronic non-stop collection must be applied,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Hong Truong informed.

Currently, the progress of stations implemented by Tasco is still guaranteed, but the stations invested by Vietinbank need to pay more attention to synchronizing technology according to common standards to avoid problems after operation.

Regarding this issue, Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia directed: "We have agreed on the standards, the following investors must apply those standards to ensure consistency nationwide. In addition, when implementing non-stop toll collection technology, it is necessary to ensure the principle of not exceeding the current toll collection costs of BOT investors and not limiting service providers."

Mr. Vu Quang Lam, General Director of VETC Joint Stock Company (investor and operator of the non-stop toll collection system under Tasco Joint Stock Company) said that up to now, the work of preparing, appraising, and approving construction design drawings and estimates has been basically completed.

The operation of the non-stop automatic toll collection system has been deployed at 5 stations, the speed of vehicles passing through the stations reaches 30 km/h; at the same time, the installation of equipment has been completed at 3 stations, but the BOT investor has not yet put it into operation. For example, at Tu Nghia toll station (Quang Ngai), Tasco has implemented automatic monthly toll collection since October 2016, but the BOT investor has not yet allowed to collect the toll because it has to run a 6-month trial.

Regarding the progress of implementation, Mr. Lam said that if everything goes well, Tasco plans to put into operation 2-3 stations/month and by the end of this year will complete 28 stations.

To speed up the implementation of the above project, Minister Truong Quang Nghia requested that, before April 15, 2017, relevant units must complete the Project outline for the Ministry to submit to the Government.

Before April 30, 2017, it is necessary to complete commitments and sign contracts with service providers and investors of BOT projects, especially for 28 planned projects to implement practical applications.

The ETC project is divided into two phases. Accordingly, in phase 1, the Ministry of Transport has approved the ETC project and the nationwide ETC project for National Highway 1 and Ho Chi Minh Road through the Central Highlands under the BOO (Build - Own - Operate) contract form, with 28 toll stations (excluding 9 stations provided by VietinBank with credit).

The investor implementing the project is a joint venture between Tasco Joint Stock Company and VETC Joint Stock Company. According to the plan, in the period of 2016 - 2019, automatic non-stop toll collection will be applied on 1 - 2 lanes, after 2019, it will be applied on all lanes.

According to Quang Toan/baotintuc